Patrizia Agostinis

Laboratory of Cell Death Research and Therapy, Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine and VIB-KUL Center for Cancer Biology, KU Leuven, Leuven 3000 Belgium

Autophagy is a major lysosomal pathway for the degradation and recycling of cytoplasmic components, with vital homeostatic functions. In cancer, heightened autophagy shapes tumor growth and dissemination by regulating vital cell autonomous and non-autonomous processes affecting cancer cell-stromal cells interface. Our previous work highlighted that melanoma growth is curbed in mice harboring genetic deletion of essential autophagy genes in the tumor vasculature, suggesting that Endothelial Cell (EC)-associated autophagy may provide a conducive microenvironment favoring melanoma progression. Emerging evidence indicates that the aberrant tumor vasculature supports cancer outgrowth, not only by promoting the hypoxic and pro-angiogenic status of the tumor, but also by actively regulating tumoral immune responses. I will present unpublished data underscoring the crucial role of EC-associated autophagy in inflammation- and tumor-driven (lymph)angiogenesis.

Short biography

Patrizia Agostinis (PA) received a Master in Biology from the University of Padua (Italy) and a PhD in BioMedical Science from the University of Leuven KU Leuven. After a short postdoctoral period, PA became an independent Group Leader of the Research Fundation (FWO) Flanders-Belgium. She is currently full Professor and head of the Cell Death Research & Therapy lab at the Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine and a Group Leader of the Center for Cancer Biology of the VIB at KU Leuven. Her group made important contributions to the cancer biology and immunotherapy fields by unravelling molecular underpinnings and the robust in vivo anticancer vaccination properties of immunogenic cancer cell death and how cancer- or endothelial cell-intrinsic autophagy pathways impact tumor angiogenesis, metastasis and therapy responses. PA was elected President of the European Cell Death (ECDO) Society, honorary member of the European Academy of Tumor Immunology and received the 2019 Outstanding Achievement Award of the International Cell Death Society. The overarching goal of PA lab is to unveil how key cell-fate decision networks (i.e. cell death pathways, metabolic/quality control mechanisms) in cancer cells and stromal cells impact local and peripheral tumor microenvironment and responses to anticancer therapies. PA is also a strong advocate for Women in Science and mentor of several PhD and Postdoctoral researchers, who continued their independent carrier as scientists or specialists.